


A Silver Lining

by MaraSenpai1997



Series: Every Cloud has a Silver Lining [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blackmail, Friendship, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 15:36:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9908975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaraSenpai1997/pseuds/MaraSenpai1997
Summary: Michele pines and fucks up, Sara tries to fix things, Emil is an innocent puppy, Leo is the proud father of a sack of flour and Guang Hong offers his first born to see Michele and Emil get together.Falling in love was nothing like the movies. It wasn’t subtle touches, flirty smiles and a three-day holiday to realise you were love with someone. Michele wished it had felt like that. The realisation, kind and a relief. A subtle breeze of warm wind or a cold drop of water on a hot summer day. Instead, Michele felt as if he had gotten hit by a thunderstorm. Powerful, dangerous, unexpected and foremost, Michele was deadly afraid of it. Both the thunderstorm and falling in love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Almost two months later and I finally started to spin-off of [ Still Alive ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9066526). Between schoolwork and other projects, I simply couldn't find the time to fit it into my schedule. 
> 
> If I've to believe my outline, this will be a two-part series. This chapter will mainly be the build-up and all the Angst while the next chapter will be the fixing up and getting together. For the ones who have read the previous work in this series, this chapter plays before the events of 'Still Alive'.
> 
> The Sara & Mila are mainly displayed as friendship (Mila originally didn't even had any lines so...) but feel free to interpret it as romantic feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost two months later and I finally started to spin-off of [ Still Alive ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9066526). Between schoolwork and other projects, I simply couldn't find the time to fit it into my schedule. 
> 
> If I've to believe my outline, this will be a two-part series. This chapter will mainly be the build-up and all the Angst while the next chapter will be the fixing up and getting together. For the ones who have read the previous work in this series, this chapter plays before the events of 'Still Alive'.
> 
> The Sara & Mila are mainly displayed as friendship (Mila originally didn't even had any lines so...) but feel free to interpret it as romantic feeling.

Falling in love was nothing like the movies. It wasn’t subtle touches, flirty smiles and a three-day holiday to realise you were love with someone. Michele wished it had felt like that. The realisation, kind and a relief. A subtle breeze of warm wind or a cold drop of water on a hot summer day. Instead, Michele felt as if he had gotten hit by a thunderstorm. Powerful, dangerous, unexpected and foremost, Michele was deadly afraid of it. Both the thunderstorm and falling in love.

 

It would have made things easier if a few of the factors were in his favour. First of all, if the person lived in the same country as him. They both had their main-rinks in Europe- which made things a tad easier, but you just couldn’t drop by. Secondly, Michele would have appreciated the warning that he would fall in love with a _male_. He never had been much of a ladies man, but that didn’t mean he always had preferred men above women. Lastly, of course, because karma loved him, the man he had fallen in love with wasn’t in love with him.

 

Sara’s happy giggle briefly pulled Michele back to reality. Emil, who was talking with Sara, was basically radiating with happiness. Blue eyes shimmering in the dim lights, an honest, a bit lopsided smile on his face, his nose wiggling adorable when he snorted. It was clear that Emil liked Sara, maybe even loved her. He only smiled that bright in her presence, Michele had seen it plenty of times.

 

Emil’s gaze shifted, and Michele froze on the spot. His heartbeat sped up, slapping roughly against his ribcage. His throat never had felt dryer, as if just had swallowed a spoon worth of cinnamon.

 

“Hey Mickey, you’re okay?” Emil worried slightly, cocking his head.

 

Breathing shallowly, Michele nodded. “I’m fine, I just haven’t slept too well.” which, unsurprisingly hadn’t been a lie.

 

For some reason the heater of his hotel room had broken-down. Of course, crashing at Sara’s room had been his best option. But his twin had been out with Mila and the other female skaters to celebrate the success of their short-skate. Somehow, after panicking for a solid ten minutes, Michele had ended up in Emil’s room. The Czech, being the kind person he is, even had offered to share a bed with Michele. Because it was cold and he had a queen-sized bed for one reason or another. Regretfully, Michele had said yes, assuming he could control his emotions. Unsurprisingly, he couldn’t, which ended up in a long, sleepless night.

 

Emil wrinkled his nose, an apologetic look on his face. “I snore, don’t I?”

 

Unable to handle Emil’s pouting face, Michele curtly shook his head, offering his friend a tired smile. “Don’t worry, you didn’t snore,” he assured Emil, trying to make his friend feel better.

 

This, on the other hand, was a lie. Emil did snore, and it had kept Michele awake, only in the weirdest way possible. The Czech’s snoring had almost been, well... _cute_. Not to mention the faces Emil made while sleeping. His crush probably was the human embodiment of a puppy. An adorable, overly excited, puppy. But a puppy nonetheless.

 

Michele was glad that Sara picked up her conversation with Emil, giving him more time to mull over his thoughts. Was he jealous of Sara? Sort of. After he had backed off from her dating life two years ago, she had been surprisingly mild with the flirting. Yes, she was closer to men than Michele liked, but it wasn’t so bad. But, of course, she had to develop feelings for Emil, the one person Michele ‘somewhat’ could tolerate.

 

Glancing at them as Sara laughed, probably because of a joke Emil made, Michele decided it wasn’t too bad. He wouldn’t mind Emil as his brother in law, though he rather wanted him to be Sara’s brother in law. This, however, probably would never happen. Emil didn’t exactly seem to be interested in men, and it wasn’t like Michele carried around a rainbow flag with him either.

 

“Hey, Mickey!”

 

Sara’s sudden cheer caught him off guard, causing Michele to jump in fright. Looking at the duo of figure-skaters with bewilderment, Michele realised neither had noticed him glancing at them. If this kept going, he should start to avoid Emil at all cost- as this amount of pondering probably wasn’t healthy.

 

“Yes?” Michele asked nervously, rubbing the nape of his neck.

 

“We’re heading out for dinner,” Sara explained. “Do you want to come along?”

 

We. Sara and Emil. The only reason they probably asked Michele to tag along was to assure he wouldn’t be left out. Third wheeling was also an option after all.

 

“No thank you,” Michele said coldly, flinching slightly by the sound of his own voice. “I’m too tired, probably will head to bed soon.”

 

Sara huffed, glaring him with unnecessary annoyance. What had he done this time? He just had declined her offer, which was all. “It’s just dinner,” she mused. “You can hardly be too tired for dinner.”

 

Stubbornly, Michele shook his head, standing his ground. He already had been too much exposed to Emil. His morning-hair, spending breakfast together, the man’s breath-taking short-skate. It was enough Emil for the day. Spending dinner together probably would be the end of Michele, there was only so much Emil he could take before blurting out his awkward feeling.

 

“Fine,” Sara eyed him with great disappointment- a look he had been accustomed to by now.

 

Emil piped in, a worried look crossing his handsome features. “It’s okay, really,” Emil assured him, smiling comfortingly. “Just make sure that you have a good night rest- it’s very unlike you to space out so much.”

 

A blush crawled up Michele’s neck. Why did Emil have to be this affectionate? It made getting over him even harder.

 

“Thanks,” Michele murmured, rubbing his neck. The skin was warm under the touch of his fingers. Why did he get so flustered over a ‘get well’ wish?

 

Emil’s smile brightened.

 

“No problem,” he chirped. “Well, good night, I guess?”

 

“Yes, I suppose,” Michele mumbled, not making any gestures to actually leave.

 

It was evident that Emil and Sara were going on a date- shouldn’t he stop them? Yes and no. Yes because he didn’t like it when Sara went out with other men- but on the other hand, Emil wasn’t exactly bad to have as a brother in law. Much better than the likes of Seung-gil or Yuuri- though the latter was already taken.

 

“I-” Michele bit his lip in worry- not sure what to say. Let his heart speak or his mind? “If you break her heart, I’ll come hunt you down.”

 

That was his heart speaking. Bad idea- Michele never had been good with feelings, especially when they revolved around Sara. And Emil apparently.

 

“What!” Sara snapped, glaring at him. “You think that we’re-”

 

“Yes, of course!” Michele snapped back, eyes narrowed dangerously. “It’s obvious! The two of you are always so cosy and happy around each other, don’t you think I would notice?”

 

Sara looked downright murderous, though Michele wasn’t as affected by it as he should’ve been. “You’re a fool,” she hissed. “Nothing is going on between Emil and me- it’s all inside your head,” her face slightly softened as she shifted her gaze from Michele to Emil. “Right, Emil?”

 

“I,” Emil said hesitantly. “No- I’m not flirting with you, Sara.”

 

Those words were an even bigger punch in the guts. Emil was lying, definitely lying. “You’re lying,” Michele stated coldly. “Why else would you hang out with us?” There was no other explanation than Emil wanting to spend time with Sara. Michele was boring, not very social and always annoyingly protective over Sara. How could anyone want to spend time with him?

 

“I’m not lying,” Emil said desperately, a helpless look was thrown Sara’s way. “I-”

 

“I what? I what Emil?” fuck feelings. Who needs feelings anyway. The moment this conversation, argument, fight, whatever it was, was over, he would lock himself in his room and die there. Or maybe he could hit Seung-gil up and ask how to get rid of all his feelings.

 

“How dense are you!” Emil snapped, tearing up. “I never had been interested in Sara- it always had been _you_. You and your stupidly pretty eyes, you and your rare smiles. You and your- your-”

 

He had fucked up. Michele had completely fucked up. He should be overjoyed, Emil returned his feelings. But he couldn’t- he didn’t deserve someone like Emil, not after behaving like that. Fuck.

 

Ignoring the warning voice in the back of his mind, Michele met Emil’s pain filled gaze. He didn’t like seeing Emil cry- not even when the tears were of happiness. Though these definitely weren’t tears of joy. “Well, I got news for you,” he said against his better judgement. “Stuff those feelings in a trashcan and throw them away. ‘We’ will never happen,” _because you deserve better_.

 

A pained sob slipped past Emil’s parted lips. As if someone stabbed his heart with a knife, Michele clutched the fabric of his sweater. That was enough- he refused to burst out in tears in front Emil. He didn’t even care about Sara anymore, he just- he had to get away from there.

 

Hurrying away, passing Emil for a brief second, Michele wanted to throw a snarky remark Emil’s way. The more damage he would cause, the smaller the chance would be that Emil would ever want to talk with him again. Yet, his own heart betrayed him.

 

“You deserve better,” rolled off the tip of his tongue. It was barely a whisper, and Michele doubted Emil heard him. Not that it mattered- he had ruined everything.

 

Thankfully nobody even bothered to look at him as he left the building. Tears were rolling down his cheeks, gathering around his chin and running down his throat. The cold winter air did little to soothe his aching heart- not that he had expected it. If he had known that falling in love would hurt this much, he might as well should’ve ripped his heart out before it could have happened.

 

~*~

 

Sara wasn’t exactly sure how much time had passed since Michele had left. Emil had ‘recovered’ relatively quick from Michele’s outburst. At least, her friend to keep up a strong face, but it was clear as day that her brother had hurt Emil. A lot. Eventually, they had parted, Sara cancelling the dinner plans she had with Emil and the other figure skaters. Apparently, Michele hadn’t caught on onto that part- that it had been a dinner night for all the figure skaters, not just Sara, Emil and Michele.

 

By the time she had found Michele’s bedroom, Sara wasn’t sure how she felt. She was shocked- of course, she was, it was very unlike Michele to act like that. But she was also furious. Emil was one of the sweetest guys she ever met. He never had flirted with her, or even made her feel remotely uncomfortable. It seemed that Michele, however, didn’t share her thoughts.

 

“Mickey, open up,” Sara yelled, loudly banging on the door. She wanted to give her brother some heads-up for the wrath that would graze him the second the door was opened.

 

A muffled ‘no’ was the reply Sara got. Glaring at the door, Sara decided to just barge in without permission. Nothing could scare her away anymore, she had to talk with him. Grasping the doorknob, Sara tried to open it. Locked, of course. She could get down and ask a key- but Michele could leave in the meantime, catching on onto what she was planning. If she only was able to pick a lock-

 

Grinning somewhat devilishly, Sara took a few steps back, making sure Michele couldn’t hear a word she was going to utter. Sitting down on the carpeted floor, Sara started to dig through her bag. Grabbing her cell, Sara scrolled through the list of contacts until she came across the name she was looking for.

 

Tapping her fellow figure skater’s name, Sara patiently waited for Mila to pick. If she recalled correctly, Mila had once or twice boasted about the fact she knew how to pick locks. Mainly because her fellow rink mates loved locking themselves up when they felt down. Which, apparently, was quite often.

 

The noise of a ringing phone faded and Mila’s familiar voice come through the creaking speaker. “Sara, what’s wrong?”

 

Sara frowned, confused and slightly taken aback by Mila’s greeting. “How do you know?” she eventually answered, curious how her friend had figured out that there was something wrong.

 

“Nobody in this day and age calls anymore unless they need something immediately,” Mila explained, and Sara basically could hear the redhead grin. “And I came across an unusually distressed looking Emil.”

 

A soft ‘aha’ rolled past Sara’s lips. Sara knew that Mila and Emil weren’t particularly close- but even a blind man could’ve sensed how sad Emil was.

 

“It’s Michele, isn’t it?” it was barely a question anymore- Sara was convinced that Mila already knew the answer to that question.

 

Falling into a familiar routine, Sara couldn’t stop herself from teasing Mila. “What do you think yourself?”

 

“I believe that Michele is an idiot,” Mila snorted, and Sara could image her pulling a disgruntled face. “An idiot who hasn’t realised yet that pretty much everyone knows that he has a crush on Emil.”

 

“A crush? I think he’s helplessly in love,” Sara answered, unable to suppress a playful laugh. She knew the situation was serious- but maybe a good laugh was just what she needed.

 

Mila made a humming noise that sounded like an ‘I agree’. Which, knowing her friend well, probably was meant as an ‘I agree’. “But returning back to the issue- why did you call me?”

 

Sara’s smile twitched slightly, feeling the weight of the issue pressing upon her. “Michele... snapped. He was convinced that Emil and I were going out on a _date_ ,” she pulled a disgusted face, and Mila let out a loud laugh. “Somehow Emil ended up confessing his feelings for Michele, but being the idiot he is, well...”

 

What followed was a loud groan and a smack of skin against skin. Sara was pretty sure Mila just had face-palmed herself. “That idiot,” Mila mumbled. “What did he say?”

 

Breathing nervously, Sara quoted the words that had been permanently burned into her mind. “Stuff those feelings in a trashcan and throw them away. ‘We’ will never happen.”

 

A pregnant paused was followed by a horrified gasp. “He did not!” Mila yelled in disbelief.

 

“He did, word for word,” Sara said sombrely. She wished that it had been a lie, but those most definitely where the words her brother had uttered.

 

“That son of a bitch,” Mila hissed, causing Sara to splutter something along the lines of ‘Mila, that’s my mum’.

 

An apology followed soon after, which was followed up by another brief pause. “Tell me you already gave him a good old smack on the ass?” Mila asked timidly, a level of seriousness in her voice that was unfamiliar to Sara.

 

“Well, I really want to but...” Sara glared at the door, which hadn’t budged from the second Sara had arrived there. “A certain someone has locked himself into his hotel room and refuses to unlock it.”

 

“You little sneak!” Mila cried out, sounding rather pleased. “You called me to ask me to pick his lock.”

 

Sara let out a nervous laugh. The idea had sounded better in her head. “Essentially, yes. I also needed someone to talk with, you know, to discuss the matter.”

 

“Well, you came to the right woman. Be sure to kick his ass once I unlocked his door,” Mila sounded rather enthusiastic, on the other hand, Sara couldn’t blame her. The redhead probably didn’t get that many opportunities to use her weird lock-picking skills.

 

“I’ll definitely kick his ass,” Sara replied, smiling fondly at her cell. There was not a moment she regretted befriending Mila. Sometimes having a girl around was necessary to keep her sanity and keep her grounded.

 

After that their conversation didn’t last long. Sara gave Mila Michele’s room number, and the redhead promised that she would hurry. True to her promise, Mila arrived about five minutes later. Red-faced, slightly sweaty, a hurriedly put together bag was slung over her shoulder. Her expression was a mix of seriousness and excitement, something that suited the situation rather well.

 

“You’re a lifesaver,” Sara said appreciative, finally getting her ass from the floor.

 

Mila waved up and unpacked her bag. “Don’t sweat it,” the redhead said, fumbling around with a few Bobbie pins. “That’s where friends are for.”

 

Sara quirked an eyebrow in amusement. “Gossip about people’s their love lives, play matchmaker and do illegal stuff to help each other out?” she did like the sound of it, though it sounded a bit... weird. Or was it odd?

 

“Jup!” the redhead chimed, starting to bend the hairpins. “Be prepared, I don’t think it will take long for me to unlock this.”

 

True to her word, a few minutes later, there was a soft click, and the door opened slightly. Nonverbally thanking Mila, Sara slipped into Michele’s hotel room, not giving her brother the opportunity to even realise what was going on.

 

She had expected Michele to get up in a hurry- if he wasn’t already up- and try to get her out of his room. But there was no Michele to be seen, only a heap of blankets and something that resembled a tuff of hair.

 

It wasn’t like Michele to mope like that. Actually, she never had seen him this withdrawn, it was just... very unlike Michele.

 

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Sara felt the mattress dip in. By now Michele must have noticed her, yet he hadn’t responded, at all.

 

“Hey Mickey,” Sara whispered, placing her hand gently on the pile of blankets. The only thing she hoped for was that she didn’t touch anything... embarrassing.

 

The pile shifted, and Michele’s face finally was visible. “Go away,” the man muttered.

 

Sara knew Michele had been upset- or angry. Anger was probably the better description of Michele’s emotions. But she hadn’t expected him to look so miserable. His eyes were bloodshot, his face unhealthy grey, eyes lifeless.

 

“You look like shit,” she remarked mercilessly.

 

Michele whined like an injured animal and curled up further into his blanket. “You don’t have to remind me of that,” he snapped, though there was no bite behind his words.

 

 

“I wouldn’t if you didn’t act like a complete asshole back then. What happened? What triggered you to act like that?” she knew that might not be the best way to approach things- but Sara was tired, annoyed and so done with Michele.

 

A long, uncomfortable pause followed. Michele took his sweet time replying- though it was an answer worth waiting for. “I honestly though Emil liked you,” her brother confessed, sounding pained from even talking. “And that you liked him back.”

 

As Emil had mentioned before, Michele was dense. Especially when it came to emotions. Her brother usually realised that a guy was flirting with her before it even happened, but realising that someone was flirting with _him_ was too much to process.

 

“Why do you think Emil likes me like that?” Sara asked curiously. She was really wondering what was going on in Michele’s mind.

 

“He always smiles so brightly when he’s with you. The shine in his eyes, the way his nose wiggles when he snorts. The genuine, lopsided smiles. They always appear around you.”

 

All Sara could do was blink at her brother. The shine in his eyes? The way his nose wiggles when he snorts? How did Michele even notice that? Sara always had been observant but she never really had noticed those things. On the other hand, she wasn’t _that_ close with Emil. Yet, those things were... rather specific. One had to pay close attention to notice those things and-

 

A sudden realisation drew upon her. Up until now, Sara and Mila had discussed Michele’s and Emil’s attraction towards each other. And, to be fair, it often had been exaggerated. Sara knew that Michele didn’t dislike Emil and that Emil liked Michele a lot. But the romantic feelings always had been subtle. They weren’t crazy in love like Yuuri and Victor nor that comfortable around each other as two of Michele’s competitor’s, the American and the Chinese. Though, now, Sara doubted that subtle attraction was all there had been.

 

“You’re in love with Emil,” she knew it was a bold statement. It probably wasn’t true- but testing the waters barely could harm anyone.

 

Michele’s response was unlike anything Sara had expected. “No shit Sherlock,” Michele muttered, staring at her with a blank expression.

 

“Are you serious!” she asked almost hysterical, unable to believe her ears.

 

“Don’t be so loud,” Michele hissed, getting up in a sitting position. “Yes, have been for months. I thought you had noticed it- I was sure I was awfully obvious despite my best attempts at hiding it.”

 

Shame crossed Sara’s facial expression. She hadn’t noticed. “I’m sorry, I had no idea,” she replied truthfully.

 

It made a whole lot of sense, Michele actually being in love with Emil. The awkward air when the two were spending time together, Michele getting nervous around Emil, Michele _messing_ things up when Emil was mentioned. Foremost, the genuinely happy smiles that crossed Michele’s features when Emil complimented him or cheered for him. Sara knew that Michele had been fond if Emil, just not _this_ fond.

 

“It’s fine,” Michele muttered soberly, opting to hug his knees. “It doesn’t matter anymore, any interest Emil had in me, if there had been any at all, is gone.”

 

Sara usually would’ve died to get the opportunity to scold Michele for his low self-esteem. But now wasn’t the right time. Once this mess was cleaned up, then she would start to scold her brother. If there was still need for that.

 

“Listen, Mickey, you know Emil well enough, don’t you?” her brother nodded slowly, hugging his knees closer. “I think so,” he admitted, a faint hint of pride lingering between the words.

 

“Well, so you probably know that Emil is incapable of, you know,” Sara made a wild hand-gesture. “Hating people.”

 

Michele’s worn face briefly grew soft- a small smile tugging his lips. Sara almost could image what her brother was thinking- Emil’s endless energy, Emil’s kindness. Sadly enough, Michele’s expression grew grim a few seconds later.

 

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter- he probably hates me, which I can completely understand,” the self-loathing was thick in Michele’s voice.

 

This would take longer than she had anticipated. Though, fairly enough, she might have forgotten to take Michele’s self-loathing into account. “He doesn’t hate you- he was devastated when you acted like that,” devastated was an understatement. The Czech had looked like a kicked puppy.

 

“Of course he would be,” Michele snapped. “He _confessed,_ and I threw his feelings in the trashcan without considering them for a second.”

 

While definitely not happy- Sara was secretly glad to know that her brother _knew_ what he had done. This probably made the burden greater- but it was his own fault. Yet, there was one thing that bothered Sara, something she couldn’t figure out on her own.

 

“There is something that’s bothering me for a bit now,” Sara said slowly, getting Michele’s full attention. “Correct me if I’m wrong- you know yourself better than I do- but you’re in love with Emil, right?”

 

Michele nodded slowly. “I thought we already had established that,” he muttered, tugging the fabric of the bed linen.

 

“I’m just asking,” Sara groaned in annoyance. “You like- no, _love_ Emil, and like an hour ago, Emil confessed to you that he likes you in a romantic way. He returns your feelings and yet you-”

 

“He deserves better,” Michele said in a hurry, not giving Sara the opportunity to finish. “He deserves someone else than this asshole- I don’t even understand how he managed to hold fond feelings for me,” her brother didn’t even bother to hide his longing anymore. “He deserves someone who treats him right, makes him happy. Not some grumpy guy who is four years older than he is.”

 

That’s it. She was so done with Michele. Screw the subtle and ‘correct’ way of handling her brother. “ _You_ make him happy!” Sara basically shouted, hitting Michele not so subtly on his leg. “All those bright smiles, all his genuine laughter, all his stupid jokes were aimed at _you_ , you big buffoon! God, you’re dense.”

 

“Hadn't heard that one before,” Michele mumbled, burying his head into his knees.

 

Staring at her brother in disbelief, Sara knew that she was done for the day. Being stubborn was a Crispino trait, a trait both she and Michele excelled in. But she didn’t have the time or energy to remain stubborn- she had to skate tomorrow and a good night rest was a must, especially after today’s events.

 

“Just, try to fix it, okay,” Sara muttered, patting Michele’s knee. “A real friendship should be able to handle an argument, though most of them aren’t this... bad.”

 

Michele didn’t reply, not that she had expected any response. Tomorrow, after her free skate, she would kick Michele’s ass into gear and get him to apologise. Michele did deserve happiness, though he didn’t seem to think so and Emil- well she loved Emil, as a good friend, maybe the brother she never had. Fun, excited, supportive and not overly protective, yet very caring.

 

Carefully hopping off the bed, Sara quietly tiptoed out of the bedroom. She was rather happy that she didn’t have to share it with Michele- it would’ve been downright awful. Not to mention that she would never be able to catch up with Mila. She needed someone to talk with and figure things out- two heads were better than one.

 

Leaving the room, Sara was baffled to see Mila sitting in the same spot she previously had been seated.

 

“You’re okay?” the redhead asked before looking up. Her eyes which already were swimming worry grew wide shock. “Holy shit- you’re crying.”

 

Sara honestly hadn’t even realised it. Wiping her eyes with a shaking hand, she saw tears clinging to her skin. Had she been crying when she had been in Michele’s room? Or was it just the rush of adrenaline that had stopped?

 

Mila’s phone disappeared somewhere, and Sara was pulled into a bone-crushing hug. “I’ve got you,” she whispered, her hand soothingly rubbing Sara’s back.  “It all will be all right.”

 

Burying her face into Mila’s shoulder, Sara let herself go. Loud sobs were followed by short gasps of breath. It was unfair- Michele was the oldest one, he was the one who should be responsible. Yet it seemed that it was up to Sara to fix _everything_. From her own freedom to her brother’s helpless love-lifie.

 

“It’s just unfair,” Sara hiccupped, her fingers clutching onto the back of Mila’s jacket. “Michele is the oldest one, he should be responsible, yet-”

 

“It’s okay, the stress is probably getting the better of you,” Mila murmured, affectional rubbing the nape of Sara’s neck.

 

The twin quietly agreed with her friend. Mila was right, as usual. The stress of the competition certainly didn’t help- heck it probably made it worse. On any other ordinary day she probably wouldn’t have broken down crying. Michele truly had a terrible timing.

 

Eventually, the tears ceased, and Sara managed to smile a little. “Thanks,” she murmured, finally letting go of Mila’s jacket. Getting the cue, Mila let go of her tight embrace and gave Sara some space to move around.

 

Wiping away the leftover tears, Sara smiled genuinely at her friend, unable to phantom to what kind of luck she had. “I’m so lucky to have you as a friend,” Sara muttered, sounding like a sap. “How do you handle it- skaters breaking down in front of you.”

 

Mila chuckled, her face lit up completely. “There are so many skaters in Russia- Georgie, Victor, Yuri. All have their quirks, and all have reached their boiling point at one point or another,” a tender smile crossed the redhead’s lips. “They just need a good shoulder to cry on.”

 

“I must say that your shoulder _is_ very fit for crying,” Sara admitted, giggling softly.

 

“I know,” Mila said and flipped her hair. Her attempt to sound and look cocky failed miserably, causing Sara to burst out into another fit of giggles.

 

The same tender smile was directed to Sara, who felt a lot better after letting off some steam.

 

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?” Mila asked curiously, bouncing on the ball of her feet.

 

“Nope,” Sara chimed. “I was planning on going with Emil and the other skaters, but something came along and well...”

 

Surprisingly gentle, Mila covered Sara’s mouth with her hand, her eyes shimmering like a sunlit ocean. “Hush,” the redhead whispered cheekily. “I don’t want to hear another word. We’re going to my room, order pizza and watch some Netflix. For desert, I still have my secret stash of chocolate.”

 

That didn’t sound bad. Sara had to admit that it sounded almost... normal. Stuffing their faces with food and watching trashy shows that probably neither of them would remember. Maybe throwing her diet- training’s diet mind you- wouldn’t be bad. A cheat day was never bad- though maybe not the day before a competition.

 

“So, what do you say?” Mila asked curiously, her head slightly cocked and a small, somewhat mischievous grin was drawn on her lips.

 

Frowning slightly, Sara huffed and blew gently against Mila’s hand which was still clamped over her mouth. The redhead let out a giggle and removed her hand.

 

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Sara said dramatically. “Or my coach after he find’s out that I ate _pizza_ of all things.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Mila waggled her eyebrows, a boyish grin on her face. “I’ll be your knight in a shiny armour- I’ll protect you from the wrath of you coach.”

 

Mila offered Sara her arm, and without hesitation, Sara hooked her own arm around Mila’s. The redhead grinned and pulled Sara along, forcing her to move away from Michele’s room. _Tomorrow_ , she promised herself as Mila dragged her to the staircase. Tomorrow she would talk with him once again.

 

~*~

 

 

Emil felt surprisingly fine considering what happened half an hour ago. Maybe it was the air of the restaurant, or it was his company. Leo was a calming presence, and Guang Hong excited babbling, wild arm gestures and a bright, fresh face.

 

“How are you feeling?” Leo asked after Guang Hong finished rambling. “I mean- you look fine, but I doubt you’re.”

 

The Czech felt his smile faltered slightly, though he managed to catch himself before he downright frowned. “It isn’t that bad,” Emil assured the Hispanic. “I’ll get over it, probably.”

 

“Good luck with that,” Leo muttered, rolling his eyes. “It’s hard to get over things. Poor Guang Hong knows what I’m talking about.”

 

A flush crossed the Chinese cheeks. “That sounds so cheesy,” he squealed, roughly shoving Leo. “He was talking about my commitment on quitting social media,” he explained to Emil. “Didn’t work out.”

 

Chuckling softly, Emil picked up a bunch of fries and stuffed them into his mouth. He was happy he had such a company- he probably would have sulked himself to sleep if he hadn’t any dinner plans with his fellow skaters.

 

“But in all seriousness,” Guang Hong’s expression grew slightly unsettling. “We can blackmail him if you want,” the brunet’s fingers were already tapping softly against his phone case. He probably wasn’t kidding.

 

“There is no need, really,” Emil said hurriedly, throwing Leo a desperate look. He surely would convince Guang Hong to drop the whole blackmailing thing.

 

To his mild horror, Leo just shrugged. “It’s your loss,” he said nonchalantly. “Phichit has blackmail on _everyone_. This even includes the more private likes of Seung-gil and Michele. He even would be crazy enough to throw it on his Instagram if you have a good enough sob story.”

 

Emil wondered if he had a good taste in friends. Michele downright broke his heart an hour ago, Guang Hong just suggested to blackmail someone, and Leo _encouraged_ it. Maybe Sara was the only remotely sane one- _remotely._

“I’m fine- I just,” Emil bit his lip in worry. Could he trust them? Probably. “Is it possible to hear things that aren’t said?”

 

The questioned was as silly as his train of thoughts, but Emil simply couldn’t get the last three words Michele had uttered off his mind. _You deserve better_. What did that mean? Did Michele return his feelings? It could be possible, but it also made no sense at all. If Michele liked him romantically, why would he decline Emil’s confession in such a harsh way?

 

“Depends,” Leo said thoughtfully. “Sometimes it’s just wishful thinking, hearing things that you want to hear.”

 

“But that doesn’t make sense!” Emil exclaimed, catching a few stares from other customers. “I mean, I was pretty sure Michele said something afterwards- but I definitely didn’t want him to say that,” he continued in a whisper.

 

Leo and Guang Hong shared a cryptic look- one Emil couldn’t figure out- before speaking simultaneously. “What did he say,” both sounded angry, Guang Hong looked ready to grab his phone and call plan _Blackmail_ a go.

 

Nervously, Emil bit his lip, worrying if this way the right thing to do. It probably was- he needed someone to talk with. “You deserve better,” he said uncharacteristically quiet.

 

The two brunets once shared a similar expression, though this time Emil had a hunch what they were feeling. Surprise. However, it didn’t seem right. Why would they be surprised about something like that? Yes, it was rather vague and a bit weird to say after breaking someone’s heart, but it wasn’t world-scattering, was it?

 

“It makes so much sense,” Guang Hong whispered, his brows furrowed in a thoughtful expression. “Michele is far from touchy feeling, but he always allows Emil to hug him.”

 

Emil quirked an eyebrow in surprise. They did know that he was there and heard every word they said, right? Maybe not as it looked and sounded like they were in their own, little world.

 

Leo made a dramatic gesture. “I should have recognised that look of longing from miles ahead- Yuuri wore the same expression with Victor before they got together.”

 

Guang Hong hummed in agreement, his face ecstatic. Unable to follow the two skater’s their train of thoughts, Emil started to focus on his food. It was easy to forget his worries when he was too busy stuffing himself with fries. It was also easy to eat the other’s their share of food. Especially as neither Leo nor Guang Hong even had bothered to bat another eye at the fries. They were too caught up their conversation to think about food, which was something new. As far as Emil recalled, Guang Hong loved food. _Loved_ it. So whatever peaked their interest must be so important that the Chinese skater neglected his precious food.

 

“It’s settled,” Emil jumped slightly as the announcement was loud, apparently aimed at him. “After theorising for a bit, we came to the conclusion that Michele returns your feelings but just lacks any self-confidence and thinks you deserve someone better- which in the current case I’ve to agree with.”

 

Emil just stared. He wondered if he even blinked. Probably as his eyes didn’t dry out. Yet, this sounded... almost too good to be true. “Are you serious?” he asks, looking too excited. It probably was nothing.

 

“I swear my first born on it,” Guang Hong vouched, sounding awfully serious about the matter.

 

Leo rolled his eyes, smiling fondly at his friend. “Guang Hong, dear, I’m pretty much you came out as gay half a year ago.”

 

It almost hurt how adorably in love they were- or sounded. Emil still wasn’t sure whenever the two actually were dating or just terribly affectionate.

 

“Oh well, I always have plan b,” Guang Hong winked, and Emil was sold. Those they were definitely either flirting or dating or both. “Stealing your first-born and offer them. With your gene’s running in their blood they surely would make a worthy sacrifice.”

 

“We’re not _sacrificing_ my son. He’s very dear to me,” Leo was clutching his shirt, an expression of obviously faked hurt painting his expression.

 

Guang Hong let out an exaggerated gasp. “You have a son?” he asked in faked disbelief, eyes almost doe-like.

 

The American nodded with pride, wiping out his phone. “He’s the best- he’s the most beautiful baby you’ll ever lay your eyes on.”

 

It was a sack of flour. Leo’s so-called ‘son’ was a sack of flour with a face painted on it. It wasn’t even well drawn, its smile was lopsided, and the eyebrows were uneven- though it made it more realistic.

 

“Your son is a sack of flour?” Emil asked perplexed, not sure if he had to take it seriously or not.

 

Like a proud father, the American nodded enthusiastically. “Jup! He was the one who saved me from failing that class- I couldn’t be prouder.”

 

A genuine laugh rolled off Emil’s tongue. He was happy he actually had gone to dinner- Guang Hong and Leo were a surprisingly good company, good enough to brighten his evening significantly.

 

“But your son aside, explains to me why you think, you know,” Emil made a vague hand gesture. “Why you think Michele likes me back.”

 

Both brunets seemed to be in their element. At the end of the evening, the food was forgotten and the restaurant steadily emptying, Emil was convinced that Michele liked him back. Maybe it wasn’t in a romantic way, but it was hard to ignore the facts.

 

“But give him time,” Leo said caringly, eyeing Emil with a softened expression. “He’s stubborn, it takes time to muster the confidence to actually act on your feelings, especially for someone as insecure as Michele.”

 

For a brief moment, Leo’s eyes flashed knowingly. Emil knew that these weren’t just words of wisdom, those were words that hit right home with Leo. The lingering looks never had been part of Emil’s imagination, nor the flirting. Maybe, even if he and Michele wouldn’t work out, this conversation might have given Leo the courage to confess to a certain special someone. The same someone who returned Leo’s longing gazes. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is somewhat different from my original outline, so I hope it isn't too much of a mess. It's solely edited, not beta-ed. (Though honestly, I don't even have a beta reader so...)  
> Constructive criticism is always welcomed- I strive to improve as a writer. I hope that none of the characters are extremely out of character- I have never written Sara before and I still somewhat struggle with writing Emil. -I'm very confident in my Michele, but that still doesn't mean that he's very in character-
> 
> I hopefully get the next chapter up next week due to the holidays, this does depends on how lengthy the next chapter will be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After two months, the second part of the story is there. I struggled to find the time and the motivation to continue this, as it seemed that like very few people cared about the story, at all. But in the end, I finished it, so I hope it was worth the long-ass wait for the few people who cared!

The Cup of China left a bitter aftertaste in Michele’s mouth. First, his fall-out with Emil had been a mental blow- one he struggled to too much with to suppress, not to mention _overcome_. To rub salt in the wound, the guy before his free skate routine, Iglesia, collapsed after his routine. He nor Guang Hong had felt well enough to finish that day- but that wasn’t the worst. Guang Hong- Iglesias’s friend, boyfriend, whatever the relationship was between them, was the real kick in the guts.

 

The small Chinese skater, who Michele, admittedly, didn’t know well, looked like he was going to join his friend soon in consciousness. He had looked lifeless- running up to the ice rink, screeching to a sudden halt when Iglesia’s unconscious body came into view. It had seemed if his world had stopped to turn as if time had stopped working. Unsurprisingly, he was also the one who had snatched up the ride to the hospital together with Iglesia’s coach. That simple, considerably selfish action, made Michele realise he had been an idiot all along. He shouldn’t have barked at Emil- he shouldn’t have thrown his friend’s feelings in the trash can without thinking about it, not even taking into consideration the fact Michele was in _love_ with himEmil It wasn’t the like Emil had, it was gross, romantic love.

 

But, after the eye-opening incident, Michele had made up his mind. Sara would most definitely kill him- he would probably do the same if Sara would do what he was going to do, but he decided that he was going to fix this one way or another, even if it meant he had to travel across the world to correct the problem.

 

Therefore, on the evening of him placing for the finals, eventually finishing his free skate after a day’s delay, he had caught the plane to the Czech Republic without telling a soul about his plans. His phone was disabled from the network, only working with Wi-Fi. Yes, he could be tracked, but he doubted Sara would go trough such great lengths to track him down. She would simply murder him once he returned to France where the finals were being held.

 

However, the moment he entered the plane, he started to regret making the bold decision to go to Czech to see Emil.

 

~*~

 

Checking his trusty navigation system, Michele peered at the nearly unreadable signs. Yes, they were in a familiar script, unlike the Chinese alphabet, though that didn’t mean he understood them very well. Because, honestly, he didn’t. He should’ve taken up Emil’s offer to teach him Czech.

 

Mentally kicking his own ass for not just calling Emil and asking him to pick him up, Michele dragged his luggage along in the direction his phone was sending him. He thankfully had bothered to charge his phone beforehand. Otherwise, he would’ve been stuck with a pretty much unusable map and non-existing knowledge on the Czech language.

 

He passed a few more streets, his navigation having yet to give up on him, and Michele stumbled on what looked like an ice rink. He sincerely hoped that it was the right one- as he had taken the information from a fan website. He embarrassingly didn’t have the guts to ask anybody, especially Emil, for the location of his home rink was. Michele prayed this one was the right one.

 

Hoisting up his luggage, he regretted not packing lighter because holy shit his arms were dying, Michele entered the building. The lobby was pretty much deserted, the man behind the desk looked rather bored, not even looking up when Michele entered the building.

 

“Is the ice-rink open?” Michele asked casually, hoping that the man spoke English. If he didn’t, Michele would have to rely on google translate, which wasn’t exactly his best friend.

 

The man seemed curious now, dark eyes staring intensely at Michele. “Tourist?” the man asked in a low rumble.

 

While feeling offended, Michele was most definitely not a tourist, he decided that he would just nod and play nice for now. He wanted to see Emil, and the biggest chance of finding him was at the ice-rink, preparing himself for the upcoming finals in France. “Sort of,” Michele answered. “But is the ice-rink open?”

 

After a bit, language barriers were simply great, Michele paid for the entree. He had been very grateful he had picked up some koruna to afford the entree, as the man most likely wouldn’t accept euros or some of the leftover Chinese yuan in his wallet.

 

Dragging his suitcase along, Michele ducked into one of the dressing rooms, praising heavens that there was a universal code for dressing rooms. Digging through his luggage, he managed to find his skating equipment and some sports clothing, including his national training suit.

 

Getting dressed, Michele followed the signs, hoping he would end up at the centre of the building and the ice-rink. However, foremost, he hoped that he would run into Emil. Otherwise, the entire trip had been for nothing, as he had no home address whatsoever and admittedly, he wasn’t ready to face Sara’s wrath because she probably was _fuming_ due to his sudden disappearance.

 

The moment he entered the cooled air, Michele felt his heartbeat pick up. For a brief moment, he heard worried whispers, saw scared looks and heard a dull crack of something hitting the ice. He still questioned how he even had managed to skate a decent routine after that. Even now the events seemed to haunt him the moment he saw the ice- which was going to be complete and utter fun during the finals. Maybe he should get Guang Hong’s number and ask about Iglesia’s well-being, perhaps it would bring his mind at ease.

 

Wandering furthering into the space, Michele propped his suitcase against one of the many benches. Nearly all of the benches were empty expect from one, where a sports bag was lazily placed on. It would fit Emil to drop his goods so carelessly as if he wasn’t afraid that his stuff would be stolen. Noticing the noise of blades scraping against the ice, Michele walked up to the rink.

 

His briefly calmed heartbeat picked up again, this time more out of nerves than fear. Emil was sliding over the ice with ease. His body was at ease, features relaxed and a lopsided smile on his face. But despite his somewhat laid-back look, the Czech made no mistake, at all. Whatever he was skating, Michele assumed it was a part of his routine, Emil nailed it with grace no-one Emil’s height should be able to muster.

 

Everybody saw the likes of JJ and Seung-gil as a threat. Young, talented, very skilled. But both of them had flaws that held them back, Seung-gil the lack of grace and beauty in his work and JJ had a big blown ego that held him back, a lot. Emil had neither issues. Emil was both technically great, and he could tell a story through his skating. He didn’t get nervous before a completion and saw everything as great fun. Michele could see that Emil _loved_ figure skating. That was what made him a real threat. No emotional instability, no physical holdbacks. Emil was strong on all fronts, only people didn’t seem to notice that.

 

For a while, Michele was content with watching Emil skate. He had enjoyed it in the past, and now, he appeared to appreciate it even more. One injury they were out- one injury and they could throw away their future if they were unlucky. Maybe, Iglesia was lucky and would solely miss the opportunity to participate in this year’s Grand Prix finals. If he was unlucky, the American might never skate competitively again.

 

His moment of peace, however, didn’t last forever. Sooner than later, Emil had noticed him- or at least someone. The Czech came to a sudden halt, blades scraping the ice. An eerie quietness filled up the rink, blue eyes seeking out whoever was watching him.

 

Michele felt his heart slow several beats when Emil’s eyes found his. He had forgotten how much he actually liked Emil’s eyes- a soft shade of blue, maybe even a little greyish. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, the colour stuck with him like glue, easily becoming his favourite colour.

 

“Mickey?” Emil shouted, confusion thick in his voice.

 

Smiling awkwardly, Michele waved, refusing to break eye contact. He wasn’t going to flee- he just refused, even if that meant he would keep eye-contact till his eyes grow watery and tired.

 

The Czech skated up to him, his face mirroring the same confusion his voice previous displayed. “What are you doing here?” was the first question Emil asked, eyeing Michele with nothing but confusion and curiosity.

 

Michele honestly didn’t understand. He had expected Emil to be pissed at him, for what happened during Skate America. How could the Czech manage speak to him as if they were old friends?

 

“Reasons,” Michele mumbled, his voice shaking slightly. He wasn’t as courageous as he wished to be, but he had all the time to explain and apologise to Emil. After that, he could curl up in a corner and cry his insecurities away.

 

“Reasons...” Michele repeated, noticing Emil’s curious yet confused look. “That mainly involve you.”

 

“Me?” Emil said, pupils blown big with surprise. Michele never got tired of Emil’s eyes, one of the many things he liked about the Czech figure skater, and this was just the list of _physical_ features he liked.

 

Nodding, Michele tightened his grip on the border of the ice-rink. He should’ve prepared for this- write an apology speech, rehearse it till he could dream it. However, that wouldn’t make it authentic, sincere, something Michele really wanted to sound. Sincerely sorry. Not just the ‘Sara forced me’ sorry, no, the ‘I decided to do this myself.’ kind of sorry.

 

“I- have been an awful person to you,” Michele started slowly, eyes settled down on a spot on the ice, deliberately avoiding eye contact. “Not just Skate America- but just in general. Especially around Sara- my jealous and confused ass managed to get the better of me most moments, and you don’t deserve that.”

 

Glancing, Michele picked up Emil’s shocking surprise, mouth slightly hanging open, eyes blown almost comically huge. “You’re an amazing person, Emil,” he continued, struggling to keep his nerves under control. “Fun, nice, cheerful. You always are enthusiastic, support everyone even if they’re rude to you, and give everything your one-hundred percent while still having fun, while still acting as if you enjoy it.”

 

“Mickey,” Emil mumbled, voice uncharacteristically quiet. “You don’t have to do this because Sara forced you, I-”

 

“She didn’t,” Michele snapped, eyes seeking out Emil’s. “She doesn’t even _know_ I’m here,” he hissed. “I came here out of my own free will because _I_ wanted to apologise.”

Emil’s face had fallen blank- unreadable. However, the rest of his body was as readable as an open book. Confused, slightly fearful- Michele knew he shouldn’t have snapped like that- and... happy? How could someone be happy and scared at the same time?

 

Trying to swallow down his nerves- his voice still cracked, Michele continued liked nothing had happened. “Anyway, for starters, sorry. Not once, not twice. An endless amount of sorry- I didn’t deserve you in any way possible, not your friendship, not your feelings. I don’t deserve you in my life- even despite the fact you keep on getting back into it, which I start to appreciate more now you’re gone.”

 

Letting out a shaking breath, Michele folded his arms, digging his blunt fingernails in his jacket. Usually, he wasn’t this emotional about things, not this sappy and almost love-struck. It was unlike him, though, to be fair, Emil managed to bring out sides of Michele that he didn’t even know he had himself.

 

“You’re okay?” Emil asked, voice soft and gentle.

 

Michele flinched slightly when Emil carefully, almost hesitantly, touched his arm. “You look like you’re about the cry.”

 

Now Emil had pointed it out, he actually felt like crying. He shouldn’t have packed his bags and booked the first flight to the Czech Republic while still in shock of the events that happened. He barely even _knew_ Iglesia, just a face of another competitor, yet it seemed all that was on his mind were the events of the Cup of China.

 

“I was there,” Michele mumbled. “You must have heard of it- Iglesia’s accident. I was there, I saw it happen, and it just struck me, I-” the serious look on Emil’s face was enough for an answer to him. Of course, Emil had heard about that, it was all over social media, ‘get well’ wishes thrown like they had many to spare. Also, Emil was somewhat close to Iglesia- at least on friendly terms. Though, fairly enough, Emil was on friendly terms with almost each skater. One had to try very heart to make Emil hate them.

 

“I realised that I had no time being selfish,” Michele continued after gathering the courage. “No reason to be stubborn, no reason to push my friends, my loved ones, out of my life because I have a stick up my ass.”

 

Emil was about the protest, eyes narrowed in disapprove, but Michele threw him one, almost murdering glare and continued. “So, I decided that I at least had to say sorry, which I already did once, have done again just now and honestly, I’ll do it as many times as I feel the need to.”

 

He wasn’t the one for physical contact. His family was okay, but anyone that wasn’t direct family made him uncomfortable. Everybody knew that, Emil in particular as Michele had dodged many, _many_ of the Czech’s hugs. Yet Michele’s distaste of physical contact didn’t seem to hold back Emil.

 

An undignified squeak escaped his throat as Emil pulled him into a bone-crushing hug- or at least tried to. The border around the rink was a bit of a hazard, a hazard Michele was jubilant about because he wasn’t sure if he could survive a full on hug with Emil. He most definitely would’ve died, on burst out in flames due to embarrassment.

 

“You’re forgiven,” Emil said, breath ghosting over Michele’s ear. “You actually had been from the moment I saw you, your face filled with guilt and regret, looking more nervous than I ever had seen you before, including the moments when you feared Sara would run off with some guy.”

 

Honestly, Michele still didn’t understand Emil. They had known each other for a while, a couple of years at least, but there was just no connecting the dots in understanding Emil. Michele had the displeasure of meeting a lot of people, many people who got on his nerves due to various reasons. While Emil managed to push many of his buttons, the Czech also left him speechless too often. His words and actions were never deep or well thought out. Yet they managed to render Michele completely and utterly baffled, speechless, and lost for words, each time.

 

“How can you say that?” his voice was small, small and unsure. While Michele was unsure about a lot of things, he rarely, if never, let it get to him, especially vocally. “I seriously did hurt you back then- I literally picked up your sincere feelings and crushed them under my feet.”

 

To his relief, Emil pulled out of the hug, letting him go. Yet, despite having more space between them, Michele never felt this vulnerable around Emil, as if he wanted to shield away all his insecurities by being wrapped in Emil’s arms like a safety blanket.

 

“Yes, you do,” Emil said, sounding almost _chipper_. How could someone be this chipper about that? “But while you can’t fix what you broke, you can _try_ , and you did.”

 

Michele started at Emil with big eyes, unable to process what nonsense Emil was spouting. “I apologised like five minutes ago,” he stammered, face growing red. “How can you make up your mind that quickly?”

 

A more reserved, non-Emil-like smile painted Emil’s face, making him looking older. While not necessary knowing what he wanted in a relationship, Michele always had been sure he wanted someone mature, someone, who had his shit together. It seemed his younger self had been ignorant, as an older look didn’t suit Emil. Emil wasn’t mature and serious, he was fun going and still in his youth, despite already being twenty.

 

“You did- sort of, you just didn’t realise,” there was a faint hint of tease in Emil’s voice. “Does ‘you deserve better’ ring any bells.”

 

Confused, Michele shook his head, hoping that Emil would clear things up. While yes, Michele probably had mentioned that Emil deserved better, he had no idea what it had to do with that information.

 

“Back during Skate America- when you had your breakdown,” Michele flinched at the word ‘breakdown’, though honestly, that was just the right thing to call it. “You left without pardon- or at least, you _think_ you left without mercy, without a conscious. But nobody without a conscious would leave with mumbling a ‘you deserve better’ while leaving. I’m no expert on people, at all,” Emil let out a nervous chuckle. “But you sounded very regretful saying- no- whispering those words. As if you secretly wished for me to hear them, in the hope that I would realise you didn’t _actually_ dislike me, but that you just have a low self-worth. But I’m probably reading this wrong way, like I said, I-”

 

“No- you aren’t wrong, I-” Michele knew he was going to lie- but he wasn’t going the saddle Emil with his stupid crush on him. “For starters, don’t sell yourself short, you aren’t stupid- nor aren’t you not a people expert- you’re a great people-person,” gesturing widely, Michele nearly hit Emil in the face, twice. “You know when they need space, figure out when they need a joke- a shoulder to lean on. You might not know the solution to their problems, but you have a shoulder and an ear for the offer, which is worth more than ‘don’t worry, it’ll be fine’.”

 

Emil looked obviously torn. A lopsided grin was splayed on his face, but there was also confusion, mild disbelief. Michele wasn’t usually the one to ditch out compliments. Actually, he rarely went out of his way to tell people their great qualities. So this was very uncharacteristically for him.

 

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Emil breathed, voice small. “You sound very... unlike you.”

 

Michele chuckled, forcing a small smile on his lips. “I could say the same,” he somewhat parroted, smiling almost cheekily. “Where is your loud, out there, voice?”

 

His words cause Emil to blink in surprise. An ear-splitting smile followed, lighting up his face with life. “I didn’t even realise,” he admitted, his usual cheer once again evident in his voice. “The situation seemed uncalled for being loud and obnoxious.”

 

“You’re not obnoxious,” Michele snapped, mentally already kicking himself. Why did he have to open his mouth- nothing good came out of that? “It’s you- every situation is called for being yourself.”

 

Emil still looked mildly dubious, which, in an afterthought, Michele would have reacted the same. “I nearly think you had a couple of drinks before this conversation,” Emil admitted, laughing loudly- the laugh Michele had grown to appreciate more over the time.

 

“I did not- I pour my heart out, and you think I’m _drunk_? “ the annoyance in his voice was obviously fake, which resulted in a bright smile coming from Emil. Oh yeah, he was definitely in love with this guy.

 

“Kidding, kidding,” Emil said hurriedly, cheeks growing an even brighter shade of pink. “Though, I do still have three questions for you.”

 

Nodding, Michele leant on the railing, waiting for Emil to fire. As long as they weren’t too personal, Michele was willing to answer everything, if only was it to fix their friendship. A romantic relationship was a no go- at least he assumed- but there was a thing called friendship, and friendship with Emil was definitely worth it.

 

“How did you find me?”

 

Snorting loudly, followed by an undignified gasp, Michele covered his mouth with his hand. Why did he have to react like that?

 

“Well, that’s easy,” Michele explained, a small smile on his face. “You have quite the fan base you know? There was this address on your fan club page, which showed what your home rink was. I don’t know where you live- but I assume somewhat close-by considering the fact this is your home rink.”

 

The confused, surprised smile on Emil’s face was worth every word Michele just had uttered, just had spoken. How could a guy be six foot tall and yet look like a big teddy bear?

 

“Ah, okay- I was already wondering,” Emil explained, though it sounded more like an afterthought. “Second question, does Sara knows you’re here?”

 

Smiling shyly, Michele shook his head, fingers clutching onto the railing. “I might have not told her,” he answered honestly. “Actually, you’re the only one who knows I’m here.”

 

Emil’s eyes grew huge, his mouth dropping slightly. “You came here... out of you own free will?” he asked, sounding flabbergasted.

 

“I did, I-” taking a deep breath, Michele continued. “I wanted to apologise- an apology that wasn’t forced but genuine, and sincere.”

 

The brilliant smile on Emil’s face lit up the entire ice rink- at least, Michele was convinced it did. “Questions three,” the Czech said chipper, holding up three fingers. “What will we do with, well... my feelings for you? I understand you’re uncomfortable with them- being friends with someone who likes you romantically- a guy who likes you romantically-”

 

“That doesn’t make me uncomfortable,” Michele cut in, eyes ablaze with determination. “Neither that you’re my friend nor that a guy is romantically interested in me, I-” there was a brief pause. “I don’t care much about gender, I guess,” he eventually admitted, which was the first time in his entire lifetime. But it was true. He didn’t particularly care about gender, whenever it was a guy or a girl, it was all about the attraction, the closeness, the spark between him and a positional partner. Genitals didn’t make much difference in this case.

 

“Mickey,” Emil mumbled, his gaze had softened a big amount. “I didn’t even know- for how long had you known?”

 

The answer was easy- way too easy. The moment he realised he had a big fat crush on Emil Nekola. He always thought he had been a ladies man- but he never had been that interested in women. But men hadn’t really caught his interest either- it probably was just all about personality.

 

“A few months,” Michele croaked, his face growing hot in a matter of a few seconds. “But that doesn’t matter. No, I’m not disgusted or uncomfortable with your feelings, I-” he really should have thought this conversation out- figure out how to bullshit himself out every situation. “Keep them and don’t act differently around me- act like you always did before I knew about your feelings. If I don’t response to them, they probably will falter eventually, or, maybe you even could manage to sweep me off my feet.”

 

To his own horror, his own body betrayed. Smiling uncharacteristically bright, Michele winked.

 

Emil looked like a kid on Christmas-night. All bright smiles, eyes alive with excitement and nose wrinkled slightly as he inhaled a bit too quickly. “You realise you’re probably going to regret this,” Emil announced with the same, lopsided smile he had previously sported.

 

“Maybe I’ll,” Michele answered honestly. “Though, perhaps I won’t- we’ll see.”

 

~*~

 

France was supposed to be a warm country. Not like the likes of Italy or Spain, but nothing had prepared Emil for this cold. Stepping into a pair of slippers, the Czech picked up his jacket and threw it on. It was almost like déjà vu- as only two months ago, Michele had been basically forced out of his room due to the cold. Though, while in Michele’s case- it was a malfunction. Emil was just the unlucky victim of the air conditioning being put on instead of the heater.

 

Pocketing his phone in his jacket pocket and grabbing his key card, Emil left his hotel room. He and Michele had headed to French a tad earlier, as Michele wanted to arrive before Sara so he could mentally prepare himself for the scolding. However, as they were early, the only familiar figure he knew was Michele, as his other competitors still had to arrive.

 

It wasn’t hard to find Michele’s room, as the Italian actually had bothered handing Emil the number, telling him that he could come by if it were necessary. Alternatively, when Michele needed back up when Sara arrived, ready to kill. Michele’s twin probably would make a scary assassin.

 

Standing outside of Michele’s hotel room, Emil knocked a few times, hopping from one foot to another. He actually did regret his choice of sleepwear. Knee-length pyjama bottoms weren’t exactly fit for the weather, especially as the blankets were rather thin _and_  short. Why didn’t they have bed linen of a proper length- people love snuggling into their blankets, even if they were short and weren’t afraid of cold feet.

 

To Emil’s relief, Michele opened the door. His hair was ruffled, eyes heavy with sleep and he was already dressed in pyjama bottoms and _socks_. It was quite the experience when Emil found out the first time that his crush slept with socks on, which most definitely couldn’t be comfortable. Though, to be fair, Michele probably thought the same. How can sleeping without socks be comfortable?

 

“Do you know how late it is?” Michele mumbled, straightening his back and trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. “What brings you here anyway?” he added, yawning.

 

“Air conditioning accident in my block,” Emil admitted, scratching the back of his neck. “I wondered if I could sleep here- on the floor. It’s probably warmer than in my room.”

 

Michele eyed him with amusement, which still wasn’t saying much. Their relationship- friendship was the better term, had changed quite a bit during Michele’s short stay in Czech. For starters, Michele was more comfortable around him, more carefree, more open. Emil guessed it was because Michele now definitely knew that he wasn’t after Sara. Not only that, but Michele had been reacting surprisingly endearingly to his awkward attempt at flirting. Emil knew he wasn’t a good flirter, at all, but it was worth it to get Michele flustered, even if it was just out of embarrassment.

 

“And you couldn’t just wear something warmer?” Michele pointed out. “You probably still only sleep in your pants, don’t you.”

 

A semi-guilty expression crossed Emil’s face. “Yeah- but usually I don’t like sleeping with too many clothes on- you of all people should know that.”

 

He wasn’t trying to flirt with Michele right now, or at least not consciously. Nevertheless, Michele’s cheeks grew darker, every trace of sleep was wiped off his face in an instance.

 

“Do you know what you’re saying?” the Italian was stuttering, arms flailing wildly. Emil liked it when Michele was comfortable enough around him to be himself, which included a shy, easily flustered side.

 

“I think so,” Emil admitted, unable to hold back his satisfied grin. “But you still haven’t answered my question- can I sleep on the floor? The carpet is soft enough to sleep on, and honestly, I can sleep on _anything_  remotely flat and not cold.”

 

To his delight, a small smile brightened Michele’s features. A soft chuckle followed and wordlessly, Michele invited him inside, stepping out of the door opening and beckoning him. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor, you know.”

 

Raising an eyebrow in mild confusion, Emil looked around the room, wondering where else he would sleep. There was no desk to sleep on- he admittedly managed to fall asleep on one once- or a sleeping bag, bedroll or an inflatable mattress. All there was was Michele’s queen-sized bed.

 

“Then where do I have to sleep?” Emil asked in genuine confusion. “On the windowsill?”

 

There was Michele’s soft chuckle again, the one Emil had heard more in the past two weeks than in his entirety of knowing Michele. “I have a queen-sized bed, we easily can fit with two.”

 

Oh. Emil felt his smile falter a little. Sharing a bed with Michele. It wasn’t like they had done this before, back during Skate America Michele had slept in Emil’s bed. But that was before Emil had confessed his feelings before they got closer. It certainly would be awkward- even if _Michele_  offered it, which was also a bit surreal, to be honest. It was Michele had become a new person

 

“Are you sure,” Emil asked, voice slightly shaking with nerves. “You know that I’m clingy in my sleep.”

 

A shy smile crossed Michele’s expression, making Emil’s heart leap with joy. “And I told you that I don’t mind,” Michele answered. “I mean- back in Skate America it was no issue, so today it shouldn’t be either.”

 

Overjoyed, Emil kicked off his slippers and shrugged off his jacket, throwing the latter on a lone chair in the room. “So, which side is yours?” he asked excitedly, gesturing to the bed.

 

Michele gestured to the right side, which after just a glance looked indeed messier, more lived in. The sheets were particularly crumpled on that side, the pillow was already dented, and a few items were laying on the nightstand, which included Michele’s cell and what looked like an authentic alarm that only seemed to exist in movies.

 

Following Michele’s example, which was crawling in bed, Emil crept underneath the sheets, enjoying the scent of somewhat fresh laundry and _Michele_. His friend had told him that he just could keep being himself, which meant his crush on Michele was still there. Honestly, Emil had expected that the crush wasn’t much, to begin with, just interest that probably would fade after a while. However, it still stood firm, maybe now more than ever since they had their heart-to-heart, or more like Michele spilling his feelings of guilt and regret.

 

While the bed was properly fit for two, the blanket wasn’t. Emil knew that Michele liked to curl up in his blanket, which also meant that he would hog a big majority of the sheet. If it had been warmer, Emil probably wouldn’t mind. But even despite being properly heated, there was a certain chill in Michele’s room, one Emil couldn’t lay a finger on.

 

“Hey, Emil,” Michele whispered, nudging Emil’s leg with what seemed a foot. “Are you alright- don’t I hog too much of the blanket?”

 

Laying on his side, Emil stared Michele with what probably looked like an uncharacteristically blank look. “I’ll live,” he lied, offering Michele a flashy smile. The bed was definitely more comfortable than either the floor or the freezer he was supposed to call his own hotel room. Missing the comfort of a blanket wasn’t too bad considering his other options.

 

However, it seemed that Michele didn’t buy his attempt to lie. Determined, Michele picked up his pillow and placed it closer to the other one, the one Emil used. “Move your ass,” Michele whispered, the tips of his ears burning red. “It’s easier to share a blanket when we lay closer.”

 

While his heart was running a hundred miles per hour, Emil scooted closer till his knees bumped against Michele’s leg. Michele’s face was awfully up close- closer than they ever had been to each other. Smiling, deciding to take Michele’s words a bit too much by heart, Emil wrapped his arm around Michele’s middle, pulling him closer.

 

Michele squeaked loudly but didn’t swat Emil’s arm away. Instead, to the Czech’s surprise, Michele buried his head underneath his chin, fingers ghosting over his chest. Nuzzling Michele’s hair, Emil fixed up the blanket with his free hand, making sure they were wrapped up in as much fabric as possible.

 

“You’re warm,” Emil mumbled once he was finished. It was no lie, Michele was like a furnace, a very soft and comfortable furnace Emil didn’t mind holding.

 

“Oh shut up,” Michele mumbled butting his head slightly against Emil’s chin. “You’re like a freezer, I still can’t understand how you can sleep in just pants.”

 

Chuckling, Emil runs his fingers over Michele’s back before resting his hand on the smaller part of the Italian’s back. “I can’t understand how you can sleep with socks on.”

 

Michele mumbled some words Italian under his breath, leaving Emil clueless. Oh well, it didn’t matter, he would at least have a proper night of sleep _and_  got the opportunity to hold Michele, even if it was just for the fact that this was the best way to share body heat.

 

~*~

 

Even before Emil came crashing in his hotel room for the night, Michele already had made plans for the next day. Sleep in, thankfully Emil wasn’t someone who woke up at the crack of dawn, get breakfast, avoid Sara, a  few hours of training during the afternoon and probably going sightseeing the rest of the day. These plans didn’t involve Sara knocking on his door at six-thirty in the morning. Well, ‘knocking’.

 

Sara’s angry shouting woke Michele up in a matter of seconds. Thankfully, he wasn’t too sleepy to realise how dire the situation was. Sara was there, pissed at him and currently was curled up Emil’s arm. No, they weren’t dating- it wasn’t even Michele’s idea to actual snuggle- but Sara most-likely would expose him in seconds that he _finally_ gathered his shit and asked Emil out. Basically pushing Emil away, who was still sleeping like a log, Michele jumped out his bed, Sara’s voice pounding in his head.

 

“Michele Crispino, open the fucking door!” his sister yelled, fist slamming against the door like a thunder striking the earth. She was fuming, no doubt about that.

 

Ignoring her shouts, Michele shook Emil awake. “Emil,” he hissed the moment he saw Emil open his eyes. “You have to hide- Sara is going to skin me alive.”

 

Tiredly, Emil blinked, clearly not understanding the dangers of the situation. “Why hiding?” Emil mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

 

“Because she will also murder you once she figures out you knew where I was,” Michele added, throwing a quick look at the door. Sara had stopped screaming and slamming against the door, but that didn’t mean it was over. If Mila was there-

 

Before Emil even could unwrap himself from the blanket burrito, there was a soft click, and the door slid open. Jumping away from the bed, hoping that the darkness would hide Emil for now. All he could hope now that Sara wasn’t going to drop Emil’s name.

 

Sara stormed inside, looking ready to kill. Her eyes set with furry sought out Michele’s and without any hesitation, she stalked up to him, fingers jabbing his chest accusingly.

 

“Michele fucking Crispino,” Sara spat. “Where the fuck have you been! You disappeared for almost two weeks, going from the bottom of the earth and suddenly you show up like nothing happened. I. Want. An. Answer.”

 

Swallowing nervously, Michele focused his gaze on the bare wall, deciding that it was easier to look at then Sara’s face. “I’m an adult, I can go wherever I want,” he answered quietly, trying to keep things vague as possible.

 

“Bullshit,” Sara hissed, grabbing his face which forced him to look her in the eyes. “That’s no excuse. You probably were just scared. First, you have been sulking for weeks when you fought with Emil, which you still haven’t apologised for. Then Leo crashed down on the ice, who by the way has covered well and can return to the ice during Four Continents thanks for asking, and you just bolted. I know you’re scared- that you struggle with things I don’t have to struggle with, but that means you can’t run away whenever life throws a punch at you.”

 

Michele desperately wanted to keep his cool, he didn’t like yelling at Sara, she was his precious sister, but her words made his blood boil. “First of all, I _have_ apologised to Emil, multiple times,” his voice was shaking, anger was just flowing underneath the surface of the words. “And I _knew_  about Iglesia. I had asked because I couldn’t have lived without knowing the answer. You haven’t slept bed because you were there, standing a few meters, ready to enter the ice. You didn’t see Guang Hong’s absolutely terrified and heartbroken expression- it has been haunting me for days- the first time I came the ice-rink blood rushed to my ears, I broke out in sweat, I was _scared_. Scared that the same thing happened to someone much closer to me, someone who isn’t _just_  a competitor.”

 

He dearly regretted yelling at Sara, but he wasn’t completely socially incapable. He had feelings, he cared about people though he struggled to show it. Yes, he acted like an ass too often, but that didn’t mean Sara had to grind it into him that he was an absolute ass and should better himself.

 

“I didn’t know,” Sara’s voice was small, her face had grown paler, eyes fogging up with tears. “But where have you been- I was actually worried you might have flung yourself at the sun or drowned yourself.”

 

Balling his hands, Michele let his gaze briefly flicker to his bed. Emil had disappeared, probably rolled himself off the bed onto the floor, where he laid out of sight. “Czech Republic- I have been with Emil the whole time.”

 

Immediately, Sara’s sad expression was replaced by surprise. “Seriously?” she asked, her voice cracking. “You actually went to Czech to, you know, con-”

 

“Apologise. I apologised for everything,” Michele said swiftly, cutting Sara effectively off. He didn’t want Emil to know, not yet. Maybe in a while, once their relationship had truly healed, he might confess.

 

Sara blinked rapidly, apparently caught off guard by Michele’s swift cut off. “Oh- and how did he react?”

 

Chuckling softly, Michele fondly recalled Emil’s lopsided, genuine smile. “Well, he didn’t punch me,” Michele answered jokily.

 

What he didn’t expect to see Sara baffled, pupils were blown big. “You’re laughing,” she pointed out, voice strong with disbelief. “You even made a _joke_. What happened?”

 

Taking his own turn to blink sheepishly, Michele tried to add two and two together. What did she mean, it wasn’t like he never smiled, or joked.

 

“Nothing much, why?” he eventually settled on, watching his sister with curiosity.

 

A teasing smile brightened Sara’s face- a smile Michele knew that would only cause him agony. “Why? You seem like an entirely different person- are you sure ‘nothing’ happened.”

 

“If you think I hooked up with Emil then the answer is no,” Michele replied bluntly, his smile long gone.  “After I acted like that, I won’t take advantage of him, he deserves better than that.”

 

Sara’s started at him with a disappointed look. “He likes you,” she pointed out. “Why don’t you just accept his feelings?”

 

Michele had honestly completely forgotten that Emil was still there. He was too caught up at the moment, words leaving his mouth without a second thought. “Because I just can’t return them yet- I would feel terrible actually accepting his feelings like that after trampling them like the heartless bastard I am,” shaking his head, Michele stood his ground. “I’ll wait, wait till things have healed as far as possible, and then I’ll see where things are going.”

 

While she seemed very reluctant to agree with him, Sara eventually nodded. “Okay, if that makes you happy,” there was a long, awkward silence between the two siblings before Sara excused herself.

 

“Uhm- Mila is waiting for me so...” Sara made a vague hand gesture. “Would you like to join us for breakfast, or...”

 

Michele honestly wondered why the hotel was already serving breakfast when it was barely past six-thirty, but he honestly could care less right now. “I’ll pass,” he declined. “Tired- going back to bed.”

 

Sara nodded and left the hotel room, closing the door in her wake. Yawning, realising how tired he actually felt, Michele, padded back to his bed, ready to crash down. Blinking at the bare mattress, Michele wondered where his blanket went to. Sara probably hadn’t stolen it, and he most definitely hadn’t taken it with him in a hurry to get out of his bed. Which, in all honestly, wouldn’t have been possible as Emil had held tightly onto it.

 

Emil.

 

Fuck.

 

The Czech still was nowhere to be seen, which made Michele either assume he had hidden in the bathroom, under the bed or behind the bed. He desperately hoped the former, as it would mean that Emil probably wouldn’t have heard the last things he had said. Crawling over the bed, Michele peeked over the edge, hoping that he wouldn’t find Emil there.

 

It was obvious what happened. When Emil finally had sobered up enough to realise Michele’s request, he probably had rolled off the bed, deciding that it would be a proper hiding spot as Sara was too busy with Michele to notice something moving. Well, he hadn’t been wrong about that.

 

A pair of blue eyes stared up at Michele, confusion evident in them. During his quick roll of the bed, Emil seemingly had snatched his pillow along. It was kind of cute, seeing Emil pressing the ends of his pillow against his ears, probably blocking out the noise.

 

“Is it over!” Emil yelled, apparently not realising how loud he was.

 

Pulling a face, rubbing over his ringing ears, Michele nodded. “Yeah, it’s safe.”

 

Emil frowned briefly, confusion bright on his face. “Oh, right!” the man yelled.

 

Getting up into a sitting position, Emil let his pillow behind, no longer blocking out the noise. “I didn’t hear much,” Emil reassured him immediately. “Only the beginning because I, well,” an awkward chuckle followed. “I was kind of still waking up. Sorry, I know it was personal.”

 

Propping himself on his elbows, Michele smiled softly at Emil’s guilty expression. “Don’t worry, you can’t help it,” he answered genuinely. “So, slightly curious, till what have you head properly.”

 

“Once you finished ranting about your insecurities, which are quite a lot if I have to point out,” Emil said, a soft smile on his face.

 

Groaning softly, Michele buried his face into the mattress, unable to handle Emil’s smile. Sometimes, he wondered why he liked Emil, but moments like these he exactly knew why. The gentleness, the honesty, the _care_. All tied together in a bundle of tall and broad joy that was Emil Nekola.

 

“You’re going to kill me one day,” Michele mumbled into the mattress, doubting Emil would hear him, and if he did, this time there wouldn’t be much harm done. People said that all the time to others- whenever they were siblings, friends or actual lovers.

 

~*~

 

Camera’s were flashing as Emil held up his golden medal, smiling brightly. He wasn’t even sure how he had managed, as he was sure his touchdown had cost him the first place. But his scores were still miles up ahead from the second and third place, whose scores were scarily close to one-another.

 

Staring into the crowd of reporters, Emil noticed a few familiar faces, mainly his fellow competitors. Minami, another Japanese competitor who made his debut in the finals, was happily chatting with fellow Japanese Yuuri. The husband of Victor Nikiforov was blushing, a shy smile on his place. Yuuri had placed fourth, only a few points away from getting third place. While clearly disappointed, the Canadian JJ didn’t show it much, proudly waving to his fans, flashing his signature JJ-style pose. There were also a few non-competitors in the crowd. Sara and Mila had managed to sneak in amongst the reporters, talking animatedly amongst each other. And there was Phichit. What exactly Phichit was doing in France remained a mystery for Emil, as the Thai hadn’t placed. Though, by now, he had a feeling that it had something to do with the second-place winner.

 

Standing next to him on the second-place platform was Seung-gil Lee. Initially, he had placed eighth in the competition, but after Leo’s accident and Guang Hong’s withdrawal, he had managed to snatch a spot in the finals. People were outraged, saying that the Korean had no place there. Clearly, they had been wrong as Seung-gil had skated a stellar routine, even managing to bring out a story during his routine, who was technically packed, probably even harder than Emil’s. But honestly, Emil didn’t have much interest in Seung-gil, who was staring at the cameras with a mildly annoyed expression. He was more interested in his other neighbour.

 

On the third-place platform stood Michele. His free skate had been on the weaker side, causing him to drop two places since the short skate, in which he had placed first. But Michele didn’t look disappointed, at all. A bright smile lit up his entire face, violet eyes alive with happiness. He waved at Sara and Mila’s once before looking up, eyes meeting up with Emil.

 

“Happy?” Emil asked, knowing the answer very well. Of course, Michele was happy- it was the first time he had landed the podium in his skating career, who was slowly drawing to a close due to age. It was hard to believe Michele was already twenty-four.

 

Michele scrunched up his face, his nose moving almost adorable. “Of course,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

Emil shrugged, ignoring the flashes of the camera. “You could’ve been first, you know,” Emil pointed out. “Your free skate in China was a lot better than this one.”

 

“I know- but I’m still content. For a moment I feared Katsuki would surpass me, I’m still wondering how he hasn’t managed, as his routine was much better than mine,” Michele’s smile faltered faintly, and he looked down at his feet. “But that doesn’t matter, I guess. Europe is just around the corner so I can try again.”

 

“Yeah- though you know that you’ll have to defeat me of all people, right?” Emil looked down, smiling as Michele met his gaze.

 

“You?” Michele’s lips quirked slightly. “No Biggy, I already have an entire strategy planned out how to take you out of commission.”

 

Playing along, Emil raised an eyebrow in faked curiosity. “And how will you?”

 

“Easy, I’ll feed you so much food till you become adorably chubby and not fit to skate anymore. As you eat anything, I offer you it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”

 

Emil’s face flushed red as he realised that Michele had just called him ‘adorably chubby’. He wasn’t chubby, that was for sure, but it seemed that the image of a chubby him was adorable in Michele’s mind, which also meant that Michele had thought about it.

 

“It’s not smart revealing your secrets to your opponent, you know,” Emil grinned as Michele grew flustered. “Plus, I know a much easier way to take you out of commission.”

 

Like what Emil had done before, Michele played along, eyeing Emil with amusement. “Oh, and how. Using Sara against me?”

 

Grinning, Emil shook his head. “Actually,” he said slowly, crouching slightly. “I was more thinking about this.”

 

A brief moment of confusion crossed Michele’s features. Wrapping his arms around the Italian’s middle, Emil lifted him effortlessly, spinning him around in circles.

 

“That’s how,” he said, laughing while Michele was panicking. “You get so easily flustered,” Emil continued explaining, but Michele down on the first place podium. “I can embarrass you to death, and I don’t even have to try much.”

 

Despite no longer spinning Michele around, Emil still had his hands on the Italian’s waist. To his surprise, Michele didn’t pull away. Instead, he looked up, eyes set with determination.

 

“You know, your idea is so much better,” Michele whispered, voice almost a rumble. “Catching the other off guard.”

 

For a brief second, Emil feared Michele would do something humiliating, like pulling his pants down. A few seconds later, Emil realised that he wasn’t even wearing pants, as his costume was like a full-on bodysuit.

 

Arms were thrown around his neck, and Emil was forced to look down a bit. “Like this,” Michele whispered against his lips and- oh.

 

Emil flushed bright red as Michele’s lips were pressed against his. This was most certain unexpected, though it wasn’t unwelcome. It was just... confusing.

 

Loud squeals and excited roars numbed his hearing, but Emil didn’t care. All he could focus on was Michele lips moving his own, Michele’s closed eyes, the sheer concentration on his face again. Was this even real?

 

With heavily lidded eyes, Michele parted after what felt like a while. “You’re okay?” he asked, eyes filled with worry. “I- I might shouldn’t have done that- I just couldn’t help myself.”

 

“I-” Emil was honestly lost for words. “Why did you kiss _me_? I don’t really mind, but... was it just to catch me off guard?”

 

Michele blinked a few times before realising the errors of his way. “No, I was planning on actually planting a raspberry on your cheek but...” the brunet’s cheeks grew darker. “I kind of let myself go.”

 

It still didn’t make sense. “But does that means you like me? In like, like like and not the friendship kind.”

 

“No- I don’t like like you,” Emil’s heart dropped. This probably was even more painful having his feelings rejected in the first place. “I’m in love with you, have been for a while actually, even before the fight, but I-”

 

He no longer could hear the rest of Michele’s explanation. His ears were buzzing, his brain was trying to tie everything together. Michele loved him. While Emil just liked Michele, the latter loved him. In a romantic way. Also, not just for a hot moment, for a while already. How did he get so lucky?

 

“So I was just scared- I didn’t understand my own feelings, and I was confused why I liked a guy,” Michele went on, and for the first time, Emil picked up the words the other was saying. “Also, I was convinced you liked Sara, which was even more painful, I-”

 

He wasn’t good with words. Emil always had known that. He was much better in physically comforting people, like giving them hugs or a shoulder to cry on. Michele even had pointed it out. So, acting on what felt like natural to him, Emil cupped Michele’s face into his hands and kissed him senselessly.

 

All of the noise around them fade away. Michele buried his fingers in Emil’s jacket, pulling him as close as physically possible. Making a content noise, Emil melted further into the kiss, finally closing his eyes, feeling at ease.

 

~*~

 

“So, how did it feel having your shipping name trending on Twitter for a solid week?” Emil snorted, playfully sticking out his tongue to his phone.

 

He could hear Leo chuckle, and a soft giggle that probably belonged to Guang Hong followed after. “Not that bad,” Emil admitted, not minding the publicity that much. “I mean, what would you expect after kissing on national television?”

 

Leo shrugged, muttered a few words to someone else and repositioned the camera. Now Guang Hong had joined him on the screen, eyeing the screen with curiosity. “Evening,” the Chinese mumbled timidly, a shy smile on his face.

 

“It’s actually afternoon here,” Emil pointed out, checking the clock in the room. “But hi to you too.”

 

Flustered, Guang Hong buried his face into Leo’s neck. Leo didn’t even flinch, just patting Guang Hong’s head. Well, if they weren’t dating before, they most definitely were dating now.

 

“But I didn’t call to talk about our television scandal,” he could hear Guang Hong snort loudly in Leo’s neck, and the American chuckled shamelessly. “How are you doing?”

 

Leo had announced out of nowhere on social media a few days ago that he _finally_ would return home after the incident. Thankfully, nothing really had happened aside from the fact Leo had been unconscious for over a week due to a head injury. Emil, who only had contact with Guang Hong who was keeping an eye on the American, had yet to actually talk with Leo, and considering the American his friend, Emil took the opportunity to FaceTime Leo while Michele was showering.

 

“Surprisingly fine,” Leo admitted, smiling softly. “Thankfully I got an adorable boyfriend who nursed me back to health.”

 

Guang Hong made some loud protesting noise, even going as far as hitting Leo on the head. “I wasn’t your boyfriend back then,” he hissed. “And all I did was inform you what had happened during your time of unconsciousness.”

 

Well, that answered Emil’s question about whenever Leo and Guang Hong were dating or not.

 

“It still helped greatly,” Leo countered, probably not even realising that Emil was still listening along.

 

Saving the poor couple of embarrassing themselves further, Emil cut their small, playful bicker off. “So you’re doing fine,” Emil smiled, watching as the two broke up their lovers-squabble. “You got us all worried back then- Michele was absolutely miserable for a couple of days after that happened.”

 

Mentioning Michele apparently seemed to grab both brunets their interest, as their eyes lit up with curiosity.

 

“Talking about Michele,” Leo started, his face growing slightly soberer. “How did that happen? I was pretty sure that back in America, he said that he wasn’t interested in you, at all.”

 

“I know,” Emil admitted. “One day, after the Cup of China, he was at my home rink, apologising for what happened. We obviously grew closer, as a friend that is. I honestly hadn’t expected him to smooch me on that podium and declaring his love to me.”

 

“Wait, rewind,” Guang Hong said, eyes growing big with surprise. “Did you say that you _weren’t_ dating when the kiss happened?”

 

Emil shook his head, smiling fondly at the memory. “Nope, it was completely and utterly unplanned.”

 

The two brunets shared a cryptic look before Leo spoke up, talking to no one in particular. “So it was a literal ‘fuck it’ kiss?”

 

Guang Hong grinned. “It sounds like it,” he added.

 

Admittedly, Emil was a bit lost for words, but he guessed he might lack the social presence both Guang Hong and Leo had to understand what they meant by the ‘fuck it’ kiss.

 

“Wait- are you saying that Michele actually romantically likes you?” Leo asked out of nowhere, eyes big with surprise.

 

“I think so,” Emil answered cheekily. “At least, I assume that if likes me if he declares his love for me after kissing me on live television.”

 

The only noise that could be heard was the soft static noises from his phone. The shower had stopped, which meant Michele was finished with his shower. He should finish up the conversation with Leo before Michele walked in. They surely would start questioning why Emil and Michele were still in the same house. The answer was easy, Emil was staying at the Crispino’s well preparing for the European Championships. His coach hadn’t minded much, particularly since it seemed to have improved Emil’s mood considerably.

 

“But I’ve to say goodbye,” Emil announced, watching has both brunets recovered from the shock of Michele’s declaration of love. “I have to start dinner soon- wrapped up skating earlier than usual because of a minor injury.”

 

“Oh, well, sure,” Leo mumbled, voice unsure what to say.

 

When Emil was about the shut-off FaceTime, Michele entered the room, coming into view wearing only a bathrobe and a pair of slippers. Choking noises followed immediately, and in a hurry, Emil shut off the entirety of his phone, not risking either of his friends and fellow skaters seeing more than necessary.

 

“What was that?” Michele asked curiously, plopping down on the bed.

 

“Well,” Emil mumbled. “I was Face Timing Leo, and you sort of walked in when I was wrapping things up.”

 

Michele looked at him with mild amusement. “So they saw me in a bathrobe?”

 

“Yes, but I, um-” Emil offered Michele a guilty look. “I can of told them you loved me, so now they know and I, well. I’m not sure whenever they’re going to keep quiet or tell everyone.”

 

“Surprisingly, I’m not even mad,” Michele said, hand seeking out Emil’s. “Though I do wonder, are they actually together or not?”

 

Emil blinked, pretty sure he hadn’t mentioned Guang Hong’s name. “They?”

 

“Guang Hong and Leo, of course,” Michele rolled his eyes. Emil was surprised that Michele was finally using Leo’s first name and not his surname.

 

“I’m pretty sure they’re,” Emil said, recalling the conversation he just had with Leo and Guang Hong. “At least, I assume ‘I wasn’t your boyfriend back then’ mean that by now, they’re boyfriends.”

 

Michele laid down on Emil’s stomach. It was weird, within the course of a week, they had gotten grossly domestic. Actually, from the moment that Michele had come back crashing into Emil’s life with an apology they had gotten more comfortable around each other. A much more comfortable actually.

 

“Aren’t we supposed to make dinner?” Emil pointed out, running a hand through Michele’s wet hair.

 

Michele made a groaning noise. “Don’t remind me,” the brunet muttered. “I’m so not in the mood to cook dinner.”

 

“What else are you in the mood for?” Emil asked laughing.

 

“Cuddling sounds fine to me,” Michele mumbled. “Only to annoy Sara.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter is much longer than expected- though this should come as no surprise anymore as I can't write anything long. The editing is a bit garbage, but I was a bit lazy. (No surprise either.) This is the last EmiMike I'll write in a while, so I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! Just like constructive criticism.

**Author's Note:**

> This is somewhat different from my original outline, so I hope it isn't too much of a mess. It's solely edited, not beta-ed. (Though honestly, I don't even have a beta reader so...)  
> Constructive criticism is always welcomed- I strive to improve as a writer. I hope that none of the characters are extremely out of character- I have never written Sara before and I still somewhat struggle with writing Emil. -I'm very confident in my Michele, but that still doesn't mean that he's very in character-
> 
> I hopefully get the next chapter up next week due to the holidays, this does depends on how lengthy the next chapter will be.


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